Research Guide for STS 1126:
Science and Nazism

http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/sts1126sn.html

 Developing a Research Strategy
 Finding Background Information
 Finding Books
 Finding Periodical Articles
 Evaluating Sources
 Citing Sources
 Research and Reference Help

 

   

DEVELOPING A RESEARCH STRATEGY

Search strategy is the process of finding information in a logical, step-by-step manner. Using a search strategy insures that you will find the information and materials you need as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Research Steps

  1. Choose your topic
  2. Find background information
  3. Find books on your topic
  4. Find periodical articles
  5. Find networked resources or relevant Web sites
  6. Evaluate your sources
  7. Cite your sources

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FINDING BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Guides and Handbooks

The materials listed below are a selection of reference resources for finding background information or supplying context for topics you will be covering in this class. Note the call numbers and library locations for these materials and check the reference collections for additional sources of background information.

The authors of articles in reference books often provide bibliographies of selected books and articles for further study.

Selected Sources

AccessScience @ McGraw-Hill: the Online Encyclopedia of Science & technology
20 Vols. 9th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002
(Mann Ref   Q121 .M14x 2002)
Also 8th ed. (Engr Ref, Mann Ref   Q121 .M14x 1997)
and 7th ed. (Olin Ref, Phys. Sci. Ref   Q121 .M14x 1992)

Online version offers full access to 7100+ articles, 115,000 dictionary terms, and hundreds of Research Updates in all areas of science and technology updated daily. Also includes over 2000 biographies of leading scientists, weekly updates of breakthroughs and discoveries in science and technology, a science dictionary, and links to related web sites.
Print version presents pertinent information in every area of modern science and technology. Each article is signed and is followed by a bibliography. There is a section "Scientific notation in the encyclopedia" which clarifies usage of symbols, abbreviations and scientific terms.

Encyclopedia of the Holocaust
Rozett, Robert and Shmuel Spector, eds.
New York: Facts on file, 2000.
(Engr Stacks   D804.25 .E53 2000 +; also Law)

Written by leading scholars and experts in Holocaust studies, this encyclopedia provides information on all aspects of the Holocaust, ranging from background information on the period leading up to the Holocaust to its impact. Experts from many countries and disciplines were consulted, thus entries provide a variety of viewpoints. Bibliographies of primarily English language material accompany each entry. Includes a lengthy section on survivors of the Holocaust.

Encyclopedia of the Third Reich
Zentner, Christian and Friedemann Bedürftig, eds.
2Vols. New York: Macmillan Pub. Co., 1991.
(Olin Ref   DD256.5 .G865 1991 +)

"This encyclopedia dissects in unprecedented detail the structure and spirit of the Third Reich. More than 3000 entries by leading German historians encompass the full spectrum of Nazi politics, culture, sports, religion, education, and economics as well as key events, battles, laws, and ideological notions. This 2-volume set goes beyond its primary focus on Germany to include articles on other nations and their citizens who were touched by the Third Reich, whether through occupation, alliance, resistance, or collaboration. Sample entries include: abortion, anti-Semitism, architecture, Leo Baeck, Bertolt Brecht, Buchenwald, degenerate art, Marlene Dietrich, Albert Einstein, euthanasia, Anne Frank, Gypsies, Reinhard Heydrich, Hilter Youth, Kristallnacht, Benito Mussolini, neo-Nazism, Olympic Games, Pope Pius XII, Albert Speer, the SS, Stalingrad, Volkswagen, and much more. Over 1200 uncommon photographs, posters, and drawings add a visual dimension that makes this an essential pictorial record of the era as well as an outstanding example of scholarship." (Publisher)

The Holocaust Encyclopedia
Laqueur, Walter and Judith Tydor Baumel, eds.
New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001.
(Olin Ref   D804.25 .H66x 2001)

This "is the only comprehensive single-volume work of reference providing both a reflective overview of the subject and abundant detail concerning major events, policy decisions, cities, and individuals. ... The book also has more than 250 photographs, many of them rare, and 19 maps." (Yale University Press)

Oxford Reference Online
Soanes, Catherine and Angus Stevenson, eds.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002-.

Searchable database of 100 language and subject dictionaries and reference works of Oxford University Press. Each topical division contains searchable versions of the latest editions of published dictionaries and encyclopedias. Includes English and bilingual dictionaries, dictionaries of quotations, etymology and euphemisms, and the World Encyclopedia. Covers general reference, language, science and medicine, humanities and social sciences, business and professional subjects.

Science, Technology and Society: An Encyclopedia
Restivo, Sal, ed.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
(Olin Ref   HM846 .S43 2005 +), see Table of Contents.

"Contains over 130 A to Z signed articles written by major scholars and experts from academic and scientific institutions and institutes worldwide. It emphasizes an interdisciplinary and international coverage of the functions and effects of science and technology in society and culture. Each article is accompanied by a selected bibliography." (Publisher)

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FINDING BOOKS

Connect to the Cornell Library Catalog

The Cornell Library Catalog currently includes all items from all Cornell libraries, and items on order or in process. Included in the Cornell Library Catalog are books, periodicals and government documents, as well as some other materials located in the libraries at Cornell. The catalog provides the call number, the name of the library, and the circulation status for most materials.

Help Using the Cornell Library Catalog

Understanding Library of Congress Call Numbers

Additional Services available through the Catalog

  • PATRON INFO -- To manage your Library account, renew materials.

  • REQUESTS -- To recall books, request delivery from the Library Annex, request Library to Library Book Delivery.

  • INTERLIBRARY LOAN -- To borrow materials -- books, dissertations, journal articles, DVD's, etc. -- from other libraries, when item is not listed in the Library catalog.

  • BORROW DIRECT -- Specialized rapid loan for BOOKS only, if title not available in the library catalog, or already charged. Delivery takes about 4 business days.

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FINDING PERIODICAL ARTICLES

Periodical Indexes and Abstracts

Periodical indexes and abstracts identify and locate articles in magazines, journals and newspapers. Periodical indexes provide the authors, titles, and sometimes abstracts, of relevant articles, along with the name of the periodical, volume, pages and date. Some online periodical indexes also provide the full-text of the article. When full-text articles are not provided, use the Cornell Library Catalog to determine which library owns the periodicals you need.

Selected Periodical Indexes

Academic Search Premier

EBSCO Academic Search Premier provides full text for nearly 4,650 academic multi-disciplinary serials, including full text for more than 3,600 peer-reviewed titles. PDF backfiles to 1975 or further are available for well over one hundred journals, and searchable cited references are provided for more than 1,000 titles. This database is updated on a daily basis.

Historical Abstracts

This historical periodical database includes annotated references to the history of the world from 1450 to the present (excluding the U.S. and Canada which are covered in "America: History and Life"). Covers over 2000 journals, including historical journals from almost every country and selections of journals in the social sciences and humanities for researchers and students of history.

JSTOR

JSTOR is a fully-searchable database containing the back issues of several hundred scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, mathematics, music, ecology and botany, business, and other fields. It includes the following collections: Arts & sciences I, II and III, General science, Ecology and botany, Business, Language and literature.

Philosopher's Index

Provides indexing and abstracts from books and many journals on philosophy and related interdisciplinary fields published in the U.S. and the Western World. Coverage is from 1940 to the present for U.S. materials, and 1967 to the present for non-U.S. references.

ProQuest Research Library

Research Library, formerly known as Periodical Abstracts, is a comprehensive database available through the ProQuest online system. It indexes and abstracts general interest magazines and scholarly journals in the social sciences, humanities and sciences. Full text of many articles is provided.

ScienceDirect

Online service for scientific research that contains the full text of Elsevier Science journals in the life, physical, medical, technical, and social sciences. Also includes Academic IDEAL titles as of 2003.

Sociological Abstracts

Abstracts and indexes the international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. Provides citations from 1963 to the present, and abstracts since 1974, to journal articles, conference papers, books, and dissertations. Subjects covered include community development, culture and social structure, demography and human biology, environmental interactions, family and social welfare, health and medicine and law, religion and science, social psychology and group interactions, welfare services, and women's studies.

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EVALUATING SOURCES

Evaluating the sources you find is a crucial step in the process of library research. The questions you ask about books, periodical articles, or multimedia sources are similar whether you're looking at a citation to the item or have the item in hand.

Critically Analyzing Information Sources lists some of the critical questions you should ask when you consider the appropriateness of a particular book, article, media resource, or Web site for your research.

Distinguishing Scholarly Journals from Other Periodicals shows how to evaluate periodicals by looking at their format, intended audience, and appearance.

Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Sites offers a table of suggestions.

For additional suggestions specific to Web sites, see Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools.

How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography.

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CITING SOURCES

APA Citation Style
(American Psychological Association)

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.)

Africana, Hotel, Management, Olin, and Uris Libraries
BF 76.7 .P83x 2001x
(located at the Reference Desks)

Also in ILR and Mann Reference at
BF 76.7 .A51 2001

APA Citation Style (CUL Gateway Help pages)

APA Reference Examples for Electronic Source Materials (Excerpted from the 5th edition of the Publication Manual)

APAStyle.org (APA's web site)

MLA Citation Style
(Modern Language Association)

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
(6th ed.)

Olin and Uris Libraries Z253 .M68 2003
(located at the Reference Desks)

MLA Citation Style (CUL Gateway Help pages)

MLA Style (MLA's web site)

 

RefWorks is a web-based program that allows you to easily collect, manage, and organize bibliographic references by interfacing with databases. RefWorks also interfaces directly with Word, making it easy to import references and incorporate them into your writing, properly formatted according to the style of your choice. RefWorks workshops are offered at Uris Library, Mann Library.

EndNote allows you to build your own database of bibliographic references from a variety of resources, including library catalogs and periodical indexes. EndNote interfaces with several standard word processing programs and provides direct connections to resources, making it easy to import references and incorporate them in your writing. EndNote (or RefWorks) is highly recommended for researchers. EndNote workshops are regularly held on campus at Uris Library, Mann Library.

Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity

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RESEARCH AND REFERENCE HELP

  (Online chat/I.M. provided by Cornell staff 10am - 5pm Mon - Fri)

Olin Reference e-mail address: okuref@cornell.edu

Reference Desk Schedules in Olin Library

Olin Library Reference phone number: 255-4144

OKU Research Consultations

OKU Workshop Schedule

Writing Walk-in Service (Knight Institute) -- available in Olin Library

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18 February 2009 (nm)
Tony Cosgrave, ajc5@cornell.edu
Reference Librarian
Cornell University Library
URL: http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/sts1126sn.html
Olin and Uris Libraries, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853
Information and reference: 607-255-4144, okuref@cornell.edu
Circulation: (Olin) 607-255-4245, (Uris) 607-255-3537, okucirc@cornell.edu